Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 12h

5/ Back to the #budget this kind of welfare reform that’s thought out and not lazy and actually helps people will help give the markets confidence and focus them on #France which is ungovernable and lower our borrowing costs so we don’t pay a premium. I know the soft left don’t want to hear it.

A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 12h

4/ This would free up therapists for getting people back to work who need it. They should be based at new start centres with credits for people on welfare but could work with mental health support and independent and allowed to do their job workout targets.

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A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 12h

3/ We are all neurodivergent in many ways and some ways make us struggle, we should be getting more research into this, we certainly need many more therapists so we can all benefit from help. I think AI will be good enough for therapy soon (Earkick is privacy focused open source)

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A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 12h

2/ PIP is there for extra payments needed for being disabled. If you don’t need extra money for being disabled then it makes sense to only have one benefit to distinguish. I hate Simon Wessley and he should be no where near this but there is a clear over diagnosis of mental health conditions

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A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 12h

1/ The IFS are correctly urging Rachel #Reeves to increase the £10bn headroom in the #budget and ideally go after some welfare reforms.

Sensible would be to scrap incapacity benefits completely out of the system and go to PIP only after the Timms review. Duplication is not necessary.

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A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 3d

I hope Rachel Reeves listens to the IFS and @danneidle.bsky.social and uses the #budget to reform and simplify the tax system. There needs to be very clever reforms not just adding in taxes without fixing some weirdness and loopholes.

Tax options for a tight Budget

YouTube video by Institute for Fiscal Studies

www.youtube.com

A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 5d

Well a British tourist based approach with nearby venues for music/comedy/boxing but less tacky!

A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 5d

#Labour should introduce help to buy for #Landlords in the #budget. No capital gains tax if they sell to tenants who live in the property, with 100% mortgages available to tenants who have paid 30% more than the cost of the mortgage for 3 years or more. This ensures there is no net demand on rents.

A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 5d

This is why Robert #Jenrick would make a worse choice than James Cleverly when there is a leadership contest in the conservatives.

The truth in Handsworth:

Testing Jenrick: Are there white people in Handsworth? | UK Politics | The New Statesman

YouTube video by The New Statesman

youtu.be

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Reposted by A Tomlinson

Byline Times @bylinetimes.bsky.social · 5d

“Here Farage is, in Gill’s office, with Voloshyn’s wife Nadia, on the day Gill makes an intervention on behalf of Medvedchuk’s channels, with an employee of one of those channels, whose husband started bribing Gill to make these statements 6 days earlier”

bylinetimes.com/2025/10/11/s...

'Stunned?' Farage's Admission He Knew Nathan Gill but Not His Kremlin Associates Does Not Stand Up to Scrutiny

Insiders have told Byline Times, it is 'inconceivable' the Reform Leader did not know about his close aide's pro Russian statements

bylinetimes.com

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A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 5d

@reformexposed.bsky.social

A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 5d

This is what #Starmer and #Labour should be focusing on. This plays to Starmer’s strengths like #partygate.

#Farage and his link to #Russia

#NAFO

Russian Bribery Case Spooks Farage

YouTube video by A Different Bias

youtu.be

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A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 5d

@bsky.app please allow edits within an hour with history of previous posts available to be been shown to allow good faith posts to be improved.

A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 5d

9/ As a gambling industry expert this is something I’ve been thinking about for years, so please everyone RT post 1 @bylinetimes.bsky.social @politicsjoe.bsky.social @philmoorhouse.bsky.social
@robespierre1794.bsky.social
@theguardian.com
@centralbylines.co.uk
@bylines.scot

#betting #tips #nap

A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 5d

8/ To ensure this works it needs a ban on lobbying from gambling industry which is rife in #parliament. We need industry experts to be appointed to the culture department including campaign groups but also gambling experts who will be way to find as they face redundancy. They need strong vetting.

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A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 5d

7/ Other benefits are a mini vegas #tourism boost in an ethical way, it doesn’t massively affect competition, I’d expect a halving of betting shops & adult gaming centres (slot machines). Problems to plan for are
-bingo halls
- #Gibraltar
- ensuring smooth transition will require a strong minister

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A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 5d

6/ This system offers communities food banks, homeless shelters, libraries all the small things that improve local areas. It allows #Labour to raise money, improve areas and tackle problem gambling done by increasing foreign companies that export money from to poor to the rich.

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A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 5d

5/ On course bookies which are the lifeblood of the industry should be considered for exemption if legally possible as they are ‘tourist’ style operators that are not damaging communities and all use the central plumbing of the system heavily (the EXCHANGE or essentially the stock market of betting)

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A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 5d

4/ During this process there would be some Las Vegas style super casinos opened. Locations would be:
1/ Universal Studios resort
2/ London Piccadilly Circus area
3/ Somewhere in north (Manchester emirates maybe)
4/ A South seaside area (Brighton or Bournemouth)

Not in deprived areas but in tourist.

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A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 5d

3/ They would then ban betting shops and slot machine (adult gaming centres). The 3 or 4 operators would then buy up the profitable locations and online systems & run them as before but with new much better regulation on monitoring problem gambling with another review. Practices like this would stop

High street slot machine shops pay staff bonuses linked to how much gamblers lose

Exclusive: MPs and campaigners condemn ‘appalling’ reward scheme for Merkur venue managers

www.theguardian.com

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A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 5d

2/ After taking control of the wiring of the system they would allow a year for this to settle in and monitor. Phase two would be to set up a 3 or 4 not for profit highly respected charity operators who would split the profits of gambling 50% in the local continuity, 50% with the treasury.

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A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 5d

2/ The government would set up a non-profit exchange where all the odds are already based on (currently betfair). This could be through the purchase of betdaq or Smarkets that don’t operate globally and hand control to a charity whilst taxing profits at 99 or 100% and banning foreign owned exchanges

Should the UK Nationalise Gambling?

YouTube video by TLDR News

youtu.be

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A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 5d

1/ #Gambling taxes are certain to rise in the #budget. This is a horrible idea as it increases the incentives for NOT increasing regulation of the industry. We need a not for profit industry where profits are kept in the communities they are prevalent in. I will outline how this would work.

Should the UK Nationalise Gambling?

YouTube video by TLDR News

youtu.be

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A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 7d

@peterzeihan.bsky.social as nearly always has a great grip on the world. If you want to understand why things happen and what might over the next 50 years, follow on YouTube and pay for his Patreon if you can afford it and want up to date apolitical analysis.

One of his Latest on #Trump craziness

And You Thought the Jones Act Was Dumb... || Peter Zeihan

YouTube video by Zeihan on Geopolitics

youtu.be

A Tomlinson @tenlargedown.bsky.social · 7d

This would be a great honour. I try to get people to become a fella at every chance. You are on the side of the angels, it’s a great way to support the war effort by collecting badges.

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